GARDENING BY M YSELF. 3 j 



leisure. If not, a folded newspaper will do 

 very well, and keep the seeds from drying 

 too fast, before they have a chance to start. 

 Much watering for the first few days is apt 

 to wash the smaller seeds out of place and 

 out of sight. Take notice, too, in your 

 planting, that all thin, flat seeds, — such as 

 stocks, for instance, — need less covering of 

 earth than those which are round and hard. 

 Keep your pots and boxes in a warm room, 

 but not too hot, where the seeds will have 

 gentle forcing ; only the cannas may be set 

 in the warmest place you can find. On the 

 water kettle of a stove is very good. 



If there is verbena seed among your pack- 

 ages, that must have fresh soil. Whatever 

 the others can put up with, give the ver- 

 benas what they want. Not earth taken 

 from a garden, in which whole races of 

 plants have lived and died for years ; but 

 earth from the woods, or the crumbly 

 mould of decayed sods, or scrapings from 

 the rich spots and corners of a pasture-land. 

 The under surface of each new sod you can 



